Snap-seal.



E. J. BROOKS.

SNAP SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1909.

Patented May. 2&1909.

jwe'iwia 5M To a ll 'tuho m it may .con c e rm i Beit known that I, E WARD J. Bnoons, a citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of East Orange,in the State of New Jersey, have invented anew and useful'lmprovement in Snap-Seals, of which v the following is a specification.

This invention relates, in common with certam previous improvements, to self-fastenmg seals or snap seals, as they are commonly termed, for use as substitutes for lead and wire seals and other press fastenable'sealing devices totsecure the doors of railwayfreight carsand for other like pur- 15 poses. Examples of such snap seals are set "forth in my specificationforming part of United. States Letters Patent No. 912,534,

7 dated February 16, 1909, and in my previous specifications therein referred to. The present invention is more particularlyaddltional to theimprovement in snap i seals set forthfin said specification forming I 1 part of Letters Patent'No. 912,534.

' The present invention consists in certain novel combinations ofpeculiarly constructed parts, and in animproved' snap seal embodying any of suchhcombinations, as heref inafter more particularly described and claimed. r t q a 4 The leading object of the invention is to provideadditional means for rendering'such seals secure against being violated Without detection; the supplemental fastening means of the improved seals being in the form of a catch part or preferably a pair 'of' catch parts within the tubular rim or a like hollow portion of the seal'part, and such catch parts I being capable of being made of suitably stiffened paper, sheet celluloid or the like,

as well as of suitable sheet metal.

Other objects will be set forth in the general description which follows;

r A sheet of. drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

, Figures 1 and 2 are,'respectively, face and edge views of the shackle of the improved seal, shown fiat excepting its permanent bends, Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a top view of the partlyformed seal. part and a section thereof on the line vA-B,; Figs. 5 and 6 are respectivelyaface view of one of Y the supplemental catch parts and a section thereof'onthe line (3- 1) Fig. 7 represents a' section corresponding with Figs. 4 and 6 through the improved seal as a whole, show- I ing the shackle preliminarily attached to the Specification of Letters Patent.

UNITED *sT T s PATENT OFFICE.

SNAP-SEAL.

Patented May 25, 1909.

application filed March 12, 1909. Serial No. 483,041.

1 seal part at one end; and Fig. 8 is a like view showing both ends of the shackle snap fastened.

The improved seal as shown in the drawings is composed of a flexible sheet-metal shackle, a, a sheet-metal seal part, Z), and a pair of supplemental catch parts, 0, permanently united with each other at the factory by preliminarily fastening one end of the shackle and thus attaching it to the seal part, as in Fig. 7.

Both of the shackle ends, 1 and 2, are preferably and conveniently of one and the same construction, and each includes a catch hole, 3, near the extremity of the shackle a, a pair of spurs, 4 and 5, formed by making V-shaped incisions in the sheet-metal and bending the spurs so as to make them project on opposite sides of the shackle, and embossed end guards, 6, near the points of said spurs, and between the same and the middle of the shackle; which latter is preferably and conveniently provided in customa'ryv manner with embossed or printed permanent marks, represented by XRR- 578907 in Fig. 1. I p

The seal part b is preferably and convenjiently a circular disk with a central circular label portion, 7, provided with permanent distinguishing marks, represented by NY in Fig. 3, surrounded by the tubular rim, 8, or hollow portion of the seal part; the seam, 9, of said rim being formed at the outer edge of said label portion 7, and preferably in the form of a lap joint. A pair of inlet holes 10 and 11 are formed diametrically opposite each other in the outer edge of the seal part and opposite said seam 9, with a pair of inwardly projecting rigid lips, 12 and 12, at each inlet hole. The inlet holes '10 and 11 may conveniently be punched in the partly formed seal part, as represented in Figs. 3 and 4; the lips 12 and 12 being formed at the same operation.

Each of the supplemental catch parts 0 is constructed of resilient sheet material, as

best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, with its body of a shape adapting it to fit within the partly formed seal partb at one of'the inlet holes, and may be provided at one edge with a pair of shoulders, 13, Fig. 5, to interlock with the ends of the adjoining inlet-hole lip 12 to prevent the accidental displacement of the catch part 0 within the seal part b. The opposite edge, 14, of the catch part is adapted to be fastened within the seal-part ing the partly severed material into suitable shape, which it is adapted to retain except when ylelding to such pressure as that exerted by a shackle end 1 or 2 entering the adacent inlet hole 10 or 11.

As before stated, the supplemental catch parts 0 may be made of suitably stiffened paper, sheet celluloid or the like, as well as of suitable sheet metal. In either case they are cut and pressed into shape, as represented by Figs. 5 and 6, so as to be dropped into the seal part b in its condition represented by Figs. 3 and l, in juxtaposition to the inlet lips 12 and 12. After so inserting the supplemental catch parts 0 the rim of the seal part b is bent inward by a suitable die so as to form the seam 9 of the seal, part, with the inner edges 14: of the supplemental catch parts 0 within the seam 9 and thereby fastened in place without extraneous means. Either end of the shackle a is then inserted endwise into one of the inlet holes, 10 or 11, so as to snap fasten it and thereby preliminarily attach the shackle to the seal part, which completes the seal as an article of manufacture, as represented by F T.

The seal is applied to the closed door of a railway freight car or the like in customary manner by passing the free end of the shackle through a pair of car-door staples or otherwise so as to prevent opening the door without breaking or destroying the seal after the seal is finally snap fastened as represented in Fig. 8; and this is accomplished by inserting the second shackle end, 2, and thereby snap fastening it; the sup plemental catch parts 0 interacting with the seal part b and shackle ends 1 and 2 to prevent the withdrawal of either shackle end without such mutilation of one of the parts as to make it easy to detect the violation of the seal.

The shackle a may obviously be preliminarily attached to the seal part b at one of its ends in other known or improved ways; the end guards of the shackle may be of other known or improved forms or wholly omitted without affecting the operation of the improved seal; the seal part may be oblong instead of circular, as shown in the drawings forming part of said Letters Patent No. 912,534; the spurs and other features of the supplemental catch parts may be modified as to shape; and other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described said improvement, 1 claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification:

1. The combination, in a snap seal, of a sheet-metal seal part constructed with a label portion and with a tubular rim or like hollow portion having its seam adjoining said label portion and provided with an inlet hole and rigid inwardly projecting lips at the sides of said inlet hole, a catch part of resilient sheet material, within said hollow portion, having one edge fastened within said seam and constructed with a suitably bent spur in line with said inlet hole, and a sheet-metal shackle constructed with a catch hole arranged to interlock with said spur and a pair of oppositely projecting spurs adapted to interlock with said lips within said hollow portion.

2. The combination, in a snap seal, of a sheet-metal seal part constructed with a central label portion and with a tubular rim having its seam adjoining said label portion and provided with inlet holes opposite said seam in the outer edge of said seal part, a catch part of resilient sheet material fastened within said seam and extending within said tubular rim in juxtaposition to each inlet hole and having a suitably bent spur formed by partly severing and permanently bending a portion thereof, and a sheet-metal shackle having each end constructed with a catch hole arranged to interlock with one of said spurs within said tubular rim.

3. The combination, in a snap seal, of a sheet-metal seal part constructed with a central label portion and'with a tubular rim having its seam adjoining said label portion and provided with inlet holes opposite said seam in the outer edge of the seal part and rigid inwardly projecting lips at the sides of each inlethole, a catch part of resilient sheet material fastened within said seam and extending within said tubular rim in uxtaposition to each inlet hole and having a suitably bent spur in line with the adjacent inlet hole, and a sheet-metal shackle having each end constructed with a catch hole arranged to interlock with the spur of one of said catch parts and oppositely projecting spurs adjacent to said catch hole adapted to interlock with said lips of the adjacent inlet hole, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDVARD J. BROOKS.

itnesses J. T. MOALLISTER, E. J. SMITH. 

